Zubair Qureshi
True to the lively spirit of Europe and in order to showcase its best practices particularly the sustainable practices, different European missions in Islamabad on Saturday put up stalls at the Jinnah Convention Centre to exhibit Europe’s rich culture, diversity & sustainability at the 5th edition of EuroVillage 2024.
Thousands of people, particularly, families gathered at the Convention Center Islamabad, a welcome departure from the last few years’ venue (PNCA), to participate in the family-focused festival organized by the European Union and its Member States.
The year 2024’s celebration centered on the theme of co-creating a sustainable future, entitled ‘Stronger Together – Sustainable Forever.’ The event showcased the 60+ years strong connection between the EU and Pakistan, highlighting the collaborative partnership in development, trade and investment, culture, education, environment and a wide array of other areas.
According to EU Ambassador Dr Riina Kionka, the festival provided ample opportunities to the Pakistani citizens to learn about the employment and education potential as well as traditional food and attire of the European countries.
Besides, it also provided the people a temporary and pleasant break from politics, she said on a lighter note.
This year, we want you to experience our journey of co-creating a sustainable future, she said, adding Europe had the ambition to be the first climate neutral continent, but also wants to support its partners towards the green transition. Pakistan is one of the countries at the greatest risk from climate change.
The EU is working with Pakistan to help address challenges and create a sustainable future for all,” she said. EuroVillage hosted the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi to experience European sustainability and enjoy an afternoon of culture, music, and food.
The festival featured interactive information displays by the EU and Member States, offering games, quizzes, food and various activities, providing visitors with an afternoon of learning, interaction, and entertainment
The event had “a wow effect” on the visitors that came in large numbers, around 10,000 to acquaint themselves with the European lifestyle and to learn how these geographically small but highly diverse countries became the world leaders in economy and development.
They showed keen interest in information on education, culture, food and diversity of the European nations. Belgium’s waffle, the Netherlands’ “Sjoelen,” Germany’s backyard sport “Kubb Yard” and Austria’s cookies attracted the visitors in large numbers.
Ambassador Nicolas Galey of France and Alfred Grannas of Germany were also among the hosts of the event and hoped the people would make maximum use of their visit to these stalls.
Romanian acting ambassador Eduard Preda, Poland’s Maciej Pisarski, Hungary’s Bela Fazekas, Denmark’s Jakob Linulf and Belgium’s Charles Delogne were also there and advocated enhanced people-to-people and b-to-b relations with Pakistan. Norway like last year absented itself from the festival while Sweden was also missed in this year’s event.
Danish ambassador Jakob welcomed the visitors at his country’s stall and briefed them on the best Danish practices particularly in green and sustainable energy. As a symbol of this partnership, an EU-Pakistan Dosti truck was displayed at the event blending the well-known Pakistani truck art with European symbols and designs.
Euro Village was co-organised by the diplomatic missions of the European Union and of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain. The event featured live performances by Pakistani artists including Farhan Saeed and Quratulain Balouch.
